Perfect is the enemy of good enough. When it comes to product development, there’s an art to knowing when your product or service has reached the “good enough” point. It’s tempting to polish everything to perfection, but doing so may be a futile endeavor and a time sink.
One thing I’ve realized is the importance of selling even when things aren’t picture-perfect. It’s through the selling process that we gain invaluable insights into what actually needs improvement.
The framework for iteration is simple:
- Make your product sellable, not perfect.
- Sell it to someone.
- Collect feedback and iterate.
The idea is not to put off selling until all the t’s are crossed and i’s dotted. You need to get your product out there, in the hands of customers who can offer feedback. Waiting for perfection is a form of procrastination. It’s a roadblock I’ve observed many entrepreneurs, including myself, get stuck at.
Don’t get me wrong—there’s a time and place for “all the other business stuff” like logo creation and branding. But it shouldn’t come at the expense of learning and iterating from actual sales and customer interactions.
Remember, a product in isolation is just a concept; its real value is revealed only when it interacts with the market. It’s essential to keep this feedback loop short and active. The quicker you can iterate, the quicker you’ll build something that people not only want but will pay for.
In essence, accept the imperfection as a part of the process, not a hindrance. The objective is growth through iteration, fueled by real-world feedback. And trust me, there’s nothing more enlightening than a customer telling you what they think.
Read more at: Letting Go of Perfection: Embracing Imperfection in Design | by Niki Tisza | Oct, 2023 | UX Planet
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